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Monday, 10 June 2013

We toured our readers around some of the world's best designs in our blog, this time we want to trip our readers within India. Based in Bangalore, ZED is a hardcore Eco-friendly developing company. When we say eco-friendly, its often understood that they do certified green homes. But this case is slightly different, as they are serious about the green concepts even without certifications. Intense research, and complete commitment towards developing only green homes is their prime motive. ZED Earth has won accolades for the numerous green elements involved in the design and execution.

Herez presenting a sneak peak of a model flat.

The huge green sign board welcomes to the property.

By the first look, it clearly appears that these homes are simple in design. Remember going simple is a way to go green.

The view of the interiors furnished with ZED Forest Free furniture. A furniture that is made from the wood harvested from the forests that are sustainably grown.

The view of the staircase and the stairwell with plants and pebbles giving a very scenic yet earthy look.

The Bathrooms are provided with small corner gardens to give a close to nature feel.

Patio furnished with ZED furniture

The elevation of the ZED home with green roofs and earthy tones.

The pillars in the veranda are of stone and add an ethnic touch to the villa.

The lily pond in the corner of the living space is one such space any one would crave for, and the space is elegantly juxtaposed into the building.

With a view that shows trees and shrubs covering the ZED villas, they appear to be perfectly in sync with nature which is what they strive for.

As an environmental engineer and working within sustainable engineering concepts, I personally would endorse ZED homes for their brilliant energy-efficient concepts.

If you are based in Bangalore and looking to buy an eco-friendly property, make sure to check out ZED homes. It is all about being sustainable which means knowing and understanding the potential problems and planning wisely. So chose an eco-friendly home if at all you plan to buy one.

Tuesday, 4 June 2013

This campaign about how to buy food responsibly, how not waste food, and how to recycle/compost your food waste to avoid the burden on solid waste management organisations.

1) Please do not buy food in excess. It is often observed that middle class and above buy food that is more than required and throw them without using as they get spoiled over a period of time.
2) Kids are to be taught not to waste food in their plate/lunch box. This is a very common habit among many kids who spill/waste/leave food which can grow into an irresponsible habit further.
3) Prepare your meal responsibly. Many a times, especially in our country food is prepared in excess, in case the maid doesn't turn up, all the excess ends in gutters.
4) Wedding meals are another part of huge tons of food waste that is generated everyday. The big fat Indian wedding waste can possibly feed some hundreds of hungry if managed responsibly. Read my musings here.
5) Food waste that is generated out of restaurants is no less to the above. The food that we order in excess is all thrown away in the gutters, instead get them packed and give it to hungry person by the road side.
6) Above all try to use a compost bin to decompose all the degradable kitchen waste.

Saturday, 1 June 2013

How would you imagine a beautiful vacation home?? Mostly by a beach side isn't it? What would be the styling theme for the home? obviously some shells and sea stones right? How about a little bit of blue hue every where? It can relate to the sea perfectly...herez featuring a lovely and simple beach home of a couple Rob & Nia who made a lovely abode in Burleigh Heads. Have a glance into the neatly styled home

Friday, 31 May 2013

Have you tried doing some DIY planters for you kitchen herbs/succulents/cactus es/indoor plants. With growing concerns about indoor pollution levels, it is important to follow few steps to keep your indoor air clear of contaminants. Plants are not only natural coolers but also curb indoor air pollutants.

Growing kitchen herbs is not only fun but also essential to cater to the pantry needs. DIY planters can look aesthetically pleasing and add some green element to your walls be it in the utility or a portico or to the living space.

Here are few planter ideas....have a look and give a try over the weekend.

Monday, 20 May 2013

Sofas; given the design boom in this era, there are thousands of varieties in the market that can cater to our needs, aesthetics, customized options and many more.

When it comes to interiors, sofas are an integral part of the decor, aesthetic elements and a major attractive option to complete the look.

Well, sofas alone cannot bring in the ambiance but cushions are an integral to add that extra beauty to any sofa.

Even an old and worn out sofa can get some great makeover just by adding right size and textured cushions. Just like sofas, cushions also have a wide variety range and very big market. This post brings you some sofas styled with complementing cushions and you can notice the glamour they add in.

When I take up design, I make sure to find some unique variety of cushions not only to add glamour but also some times to camouflage the client's existing stuff which may not be great picks (be it a sofa or a seating).

Hope you liked the variations and got inspired with the new styles. Even a simple sofa can be transformed into a piece of art with beautiful cushions.

Friday, 10 May 2013

This beautiful space has stolen my heart...I was so smitten by the interiors which elegantly juxtaposed ethnic elements and modern day needs. Antonia Graham is the owner of the space which is located in Goa. Featured in this month's Elle Decor magazine, entire home carries simple hues without overshadowing the elements.

What is most attractive is the central courtyard of the building, many old style homes in the south Indian villages still do have this type of courtyard which not only takes in the light but also creates a spacious feeling.

Many times I mentioned that interiors are clustered with many decorative objects which take away the actual functionality. However this space seems to use the right amount of objects in right places with least cluster.

With a simple colour pallette and structural elements made out of traditional materials, the interior hues bring back so many childhood memories to many of us.

Canopy bed was an integral part of our grand parents homes, and it was passed as legacy to the next generations until late 80s.

I have always had great liking for canopy beds, and in process of getting one made.

Thursday, 11 April 2013

Sorry for being away from this space for a while. However we are back with a bang. Yes, a very interesting post. Have you seen ready-made homes, we understand the idea of ready-made home is something that is built and ready to occupy. But we are not talking about this. Homes that are customized to your taste, add or remove features just like a car.

Dig in for details.

This is from the Simpatico System, which was developed around a collection of interchangeable modular building blocks that can be combined to create unlimited semi-custom home designs. The biggest advantage of these homes are, that they are incredibly flexible and fit in all types of environments like narrow lots, townhomes, ranch homes, vacation homes, accesory structures, sloped lots etc;

There are many advantages with these homes like, streamline system, saves money, organised process, and time saving. Simple 5 step process like reviewing the site, designing to suit your lifestyle and requirements, engineering the construction, fabricating and delivering. In other its a simple modular set up which is quick to build and fits in all kinds of spaces.

Given the space challenges, and mounting construction costs, resource allocation challenges, this modular pre-fab home seems a good solution.

Moreover, it is very sustainable, as the interiors include energy star appliances, low flow plumbing fixtures, glass mosaic tiles, bamboo & cork flooring, low or no VOC paints, hydronic radiant floor heating etc; If you think its too pricy, they are very much on par or sometimes less than the conventional pricing (150$/SqFt).